Synopsis: ‘Aladdin is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future. Directed by Guy Ritchie, who brings his singular flair for fast-paced, visceral action to the fictitious port city of Agrabah, the film is written by John August and Ritchie based on Disney’s Aladdin.

Aladdin stars Will Smith as the larger-than-life Genie; Mena Massoud as the charming scoundrel Aladdin; Naomi Scott as Jasmine, the beautiful, self-determined princess; Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, the powerful sorcerer; Navid Negahban as the Sultan concerned with his daughter’s future; Nasim Pedrad as Dalia, Princess Jasmine’s free-spirited best friend and confidante; Billy Magnussen as the handsome and arrogant suitor Prince Anders; and Numan Acar as Hakim, Jafar’s right-hand man and captain of the palace guards.

‘The film is produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich with Marc Platt and Kevin De La Noy serving as executive producers. Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and two new songs written by Menken and songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The film, which was shot on practical stages in London and on location amidst the stunning desert vistas of Jordan, has a talented creative team helping to bring Agrabah to life, including: director of photography Alan Stewart, production designer Gemma Jackson and costume designer Michael Wilkinson.’

The film is due in cinemas May 2019. Take a look at the teaser trailer and poster below. [Read more…]

Disney’s live-action take on Aladdin is kicking off with Will Smith posting the first picture from the set of the movie, alongside Mena Massoud (Aladdin), Naomi Scott (Jasmine) and Marwan Kenzari (Jafar). Filminh has begun at Longcross Studios outside London, with Guy Ritchie directing.

We also know the movie is going to have a few differences from the animated classic, not least that Bridge Of Spies and Broadway star Billy Magnussen has signed up for the movie. He’ll be playing a brand new character called Prince Anders, who’s described as ‘a suitor from Skanland and potential husband for Princess Jasmine’. Also in the movie are Navid Negahban (Homeland) as the Sultan, the ruler of Agrabah who is eager to find a proper husband for his daughter, Jasmine; Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live) as Dalia, Princess Jasmine’s hand maiden and confidante; and Numan Acar (Homeland) as Hakim, Jafar’s right-hand man and head of the palace guards.

No release date has been officially set, although many expect it to arrive in early 2019.

Disney and director Guy Ritchie have apparently had a few issues finding the right actor for the lead role in their planned live-action take on Aladdin. It’s taken them months, but they’ve now reached a decision.

At the House Of Mouse’s D23 expo, they’ve revealed that relative newcomer Mena Massoud will take the title role, with Power Rangers’ Naomi Scott as Jasmine. They join the now confirmed Will Smith as the genie.

Apparently over 2,000 actors auditioned for the role of Aladdin, with Disney looking at the likes of Dev Patel and Riz Ahmed, before deciding that Massoud was their man. The young star has previously been seen in the likes of TV’s Saving Hope, and he’s also got a role in the upcoming Jack Ryan television series.

Disney is hoping to start shooting Aladdin next month in the UK, but there’s still got plenty of work to do before then. That’s not least that they need to find someone to play the villain, Jafar, as well as various other roles. (H/T THR)

Recently Will Smith turned down the opportunity to take a major role in Tim Burton’s live-action take on Dumbo. However, it turns out that might have been because he had a different Disney role in mind, as he’s in talks to voice the Genie in the studio’s planned live-action version of Aladdin, according to Deadline.

He’s very early in talks at the moment, so he may end up walking away from the role, as he did with Dumbo, but at the moment he’s the one in the frame. If he does take the role, he’ll have big shoes to fill, as Robin Williams take on the the lamp-living Genie is one of the greatest Disney characters. Although Smith can be good a larger-than-life comedy characters, it’s still a major challenge.

John August is on screenplay duties, with Guy Ritchie set to direct. At the moment, no one has been announced for the title role, although it has been said that after numerous controversy over white-washing in movies in recent years, that Disney is looking a lead actors who have Arabian heritage. We’ll have to wait and see who they choose.

Disney is soon going to run out of classic animated movies to turn live action, as after the likes of Maleficent, Cinderella and The Jungle Book, we’ve got films such as Beauty & The Beast, Mulan and Aladdin coming. The latter now has a director, with Guy Ritchie stepping into the breach.

The Sherlock Holmes and Man From U.N.C.L.E. helmer is in talks to help develop the movie and direct, with John August (Big FIsh) writing the script. It’s not known how closely it will stick to the 1992 animated version, about a street urchin in who gets hold of a magic lamp with a genie inside that grants him three wishes. It’ll be interesting to see if they keep the genie as a shapeshifting, pop culture reference spewing comic force, or whether they turn him into something a little more sinister.

As well as the films mentioned above, Disney is also developing Jungle Book and Maleficent sequels, as well as live-action takes on The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. So they’ve certainly got a very full slate.